The Color of Blood
by R.K. Cloud
Summary: Sarek comes to appreciate his son's mixed blood.


**A/N: First try at a Trek Fic, though I'm a long time fan. This is a missing scene of sorts from Journey to Babel. Also included is a brief scene from Trek V.**

**Dislaimer: Don't own it, never will.**

The Color of Blood

The newborn child cried and squirmed in the healer's arms as she held the boy up to Sarek. The father looked at the screaming child. Physically he was Vulcan; there was no denying the fact. His pointed ears, unlike his mother's round human ones, stood out starkly in the dim light. Everything about his face was Vulcan. Each feature depicted a perfectly healthy and fully Vulcan child.

But as he watched the child that the healer held in front of him, Sarek noticed not the features of his ancestors, but the human blood the newborn was covered in; the human blood of his dear wife; the same blood that no doubt ran through the child's veins, along with the green blood of his father's giving. He wondered what color of life giving substance would stand out. In later years when the child fell down and injured himself or perhaps when blood would be drawn during a visit with a healer, would it reveal itself to be the color of his own, or the color of a human's?

The boy continued to scream.

Sarek continued to wonder at the future of his son. His mind wandered to the same thoughts he'd had so many other moments throughout Amanda's pregnancy. When the tears of the newborn dried and the crying ceased, would the boy continue to display such emotional reactions throughout his life, or would he be the logical Vulcan child that would bring honor to Sarek?

His newborn son continued to cry.

It was a sound so piercing, so foreign to his Vulcan ears.

So illogical.

"So human."

-----------------

Sarek woke up in the sickbay on board the _U.S.S. Enterprise_. The entire journey had not gone as planned. The unnecessary loss of life and attack of the captain had been quite a hindrance. His own inability to help matters due to his heart's condition perturbed him significantly.

Illogical, he thought. The disturbance he felt was merely an effect of the disorienting drugs administered by Doctor McCoy in accordance to his operation.

For the last few hours he had awoken and fallen asleep periodically, Amanda always at his side. As he awoke further and gathered himself, he noticed Amanda sitting next to him still, her head hung low in sleep. He touched her hand gently, allowing his mind to touch hers, assuring him that the presence was his own.

She opened her eyes. "Sarek. How do you feel?"

He withdrew his hand. "I am quite well, my wife," he answered. "Is Spock in good condition?"

She smiled, her eyes bright. "He's fine, just as he was the last three times you asked. He's still recovering from the procedure, but he and the doctor both assure me he is in good health. I am glad you are as well," she said. Her smiled faded and her eyes dropped. "I was so worried."

"Illogical," he assured her. "Doctor McCoy is well practiced in his field."

"Yes, my husband. But…"

Sarek looked at his wife. He had come to know the facial features that accompanied her exceedingly human emotions well. The marital bond that they shared only heightened his awareness of these. Amanda was significantly distressed.

"There is no reason to feel further concern Amanda. However, if you require, we shall call Doctor McCoy in to examine my condition and, once again, assure you of my well being."

Minutes later the doctor was examining the ambassador, concentrating on each reading. Finally, he looked to Amanda and smiled. "Your husband is in good shape. Must be that Vulcan stamina Spock's so fond of reminding me about."

"Thank you doctor," Amanda said through a smile.

"Yes, doctor, I express to you my gratitude."

"I'm just glad he shares the same green blood as you, Ambassador. Since it was predominantly Vulcan, it was easy to separate from the human blood."

As the doctor took another moment to look over his readings, Sarek's mind was brought back to the moment of his son's birth, the moment he had wondered about the purity of the child's blood, the moment he had doubted the lucidity of the child's ability to be fully Vulcan.

Those thoughts had been quite illogical, Sarek realized. Spock was his son, from the house of Surak, and would undoubtedly be a follower of his teachings. If he had ever had the liberty to question his son's logical path, it was when he opted to join Starfleet and disregard the teachings and philosophy that he'd chosen to embrace.

It was at this moment as well that Sarek questioned his son's logic.

The logical course of action would have been to fulfill his duties as second-in-command of the Starfleet vessel, regardless of whether or not the captain's condition was well enough to command. By choosing to ignore this responsibility, the same duty that he had chosen above his own duties as a son, and risk his life for his father, Spock had reached the epitome of illogical actions, of human emotion.

"You know," McCoy began as he finished his check up, "I wasn't sure Spock was gonna come to his senses and go through with the procedure. He thought it would be too 'illogical' to put the ship in anyone else's hands while Jim was out of commission. Even when the captain assured him he was well enough to command, he was hesitant. Truth be told, he could've used Spock out there, and Spock knew it. He's… committed…I guess you might say, very strongly to his duty as a Starfleet officer." He paused and looked to Amanda, and then to her Vulcan husband. "But he sure was committed to giving you his blood before the ship was in danger. I guess he's finally realized his duty as a son is more important than any duty to Starfleet."

McCoy gave the husband and wife one more smile as he turned to exit. "Spock will be able to join you in here just as soon as I make sure you're both fully rested." With that he left Amanda and Sarek in privacy.

The doctor seemed to think quite highly of Spock's illogical and quite human decision, Sarek mused.

"Something is on your mind my husband," Amanda said after several moments of silence.

"I am merely resting," Sarek tried to explain.

Amanda gave a disbelieving chuckle. "Sarek, I know you better than that," she said. After another moment she added, "Spock is fine."

"Yes, concern is quite unwarranted."

"And quite illogical," Amanda smiled. "But he's your son. And he just risked his life for you."

"Yes. He has," Sarek replied quietly, in a slight daze of both fatigue and deep thought. Spock had risked his life for his father, and therein laid the human illogic of it all.

Amanda sighed contentedly. "I'm just glad he was able to give you his blood," she began, speaking through a yawn of drowsiness and relief. "As doctor McCoy said, we were lucky his blood is primarily Vulcan."

"The color of his blood may be green," Sarek said, sounding also quite tired, "but it seems as though he is influenced quite heavily by your human blood. He is…" he searched for fitting words. "So human."

Amanda frowned, confused at her husband's strange comment.

"But," he added, "I would have it no other way."

Sarek drifted off to sleep.

Amanda had a feeling that when he awoke, Sarek would sum up Spock's decision as a logical one. But as he drifted into sleep, she decided it wouldn't matter, as long as she knew that her husband had finally accepted his son's mixed heritage; his mixed blood.

Without it, Sarek may have been lost from her and Spock forever.

Amanda smiled a very human smile.


End file.
